Report: Ex-343 QA Claims Microsoft Contracting Policies One of the Biggest Issues MS Exclusives Seeing a “Downturn in Quality” and Halo’s Struggles

Back in the day, Microsoft’s Halo franchise was one of the biggest in gaming, and it was one genre where Sony didn’t have anything to counter the software giant with. Over the years, the franchise’s popularity has waned a bit, which was evident in Halo Infinite’s release, as even if it did great numbers at launch, its impact is nowhere near as big as in previous entries.

While there’s a lot that could be said about Halo not being as big as it once was, one ex-developer pins the blame on Microsoft itself and how it treats developers at 343. Former 343 QA Tester Briggs William Crane has spoken out about Microsoft’s contracting policies, which is something he attributes to the Halo franchise’s hardships. Commenting on a video by HiddenXperia titled “We Finally Know What Happened To Infinite’s Campaign, DLC, Story & More,” Crane points out that Microsoft’s policies in laying off contractual people as they are getting into their best work is what’s hampering the franchise. Not only that, the same person also points to this contractual employment as one main reason why Microsoft’s exclusives are seeing a “downturn in quality.”

Ex 343 Dev here. Now I work at Epic Games. Microsoft’s contracting policies are single handedly one of the biggest issues that Halo faces. Can you imagine how difficult it is to do your best work knowing that they’ll get rid of you in 18 months and there’s nothing you can do about it? Plus that forces people out the door just as they become fully trained and competent at their positions. All of this just so they can have the luxury of being able to easily lay off employees when it suits Microsoft execs. A SIGNIFICANT portion of 343’s workforce is comprised of contract workers (including the entirety of the old MCC team). The self inflicted brain drain is maddening to watch, and it’s (in my opinion) why most Microsoft exclusive titles are seeing a downturn in quality. They’ve created a business environment in which the talent they should be trying to cultivate is being pushed out the door and is then nabbed by other studios.

Briggs is now working full-time as a LiveQA Tester for Epic Games’ Fortnite according to his LinkedIn bio.

The latest Halo game, Halo Infinite, was released for the Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC back in 2021 with its multiplayer offered as free-to-play. Blitzing out of the gate, the shooter has gone through ups and downs throughout the years and is still being supported by 343 with title updates, events and so on. When it comes to Microsoft’s first-party releases, possibly the biggest offender is Redfall, which was universally panned for its bugs, lack of content and unpolished gameplay. Aside from that, the most recent first-party major release from Microsoft has been Hellblade 2: Senua’s Saga, which reviewed fairly well, though might not have been the system-seller Microsoft was hoping for.

We’re not privy to the inner workings at 343 or Microsoft, but we did ask the company for a comment on the situation, and if we hear anything back, we’ll update the article with the info.

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[Thanks, Rebs Gaming!]

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